This invention is in the field of Industrial Sewing Machines, more particularly, an industrial sewing machine adapted to have the components thereof operated by a computer which may be programmed in an initial manual operation by an operator.
There exist in the prior art, industrial sewing machines adapted to be automatically operated by edge guidance systems for automatically guiding a work material beneath a sewing needle, and, industrial sewing machines wherein component operation may be automatically effected with guidance of work material performed by an operator. The instant invention relates to the latter variety of industrial sewing machines.
In the prior art there are many examples of sewing machines having the capability for automatically performing back tacks; for automatically performing a thread trimming operation, needle positioning and presser foot elevation; for automatically implementing a stitch count; for automatically starting and stopping a sewing machine; for program control of feed, presser foot elevation and speed of operation; for automatic operation of thread trimming, presser foot elevation and time delay; for recording of feed motion and playback thereof; and, a machine combining many of the above features and including a stepwise recording capability also exists. Thus, an industrial sewing machine is disclosed in the prior art which has the capability stepwise to record in one of two fixed speeds for each of forward and reverse work material feed, an exact stitch count; and for stopping with the sewing needle in an up position to facilitate removal of work material, or in a down position from which to initiate a thread trim operation or to effect a pivot delay of measured duration. This prior art industrial sewing machine admittedly required a relatively highly skilled and trained operator for recording of a complete sewing cycle, in part due to the complexity of the controls; and lacked the flexibility required to enable use thereof by relatively unskilled operators of varying degree in both initial recording and later operation.
What is required is an industrial sewing machine adapted to the use of any sewing machine operator, which includes the capability to record an initial operation of the sewing machine and the several components thereof, and is operable in several modes to increase the flexibility and usefulness thereof.